A Burger a Day in May: 2941’s Daffy Burger

Meet the sandwich soul of the new 2941.

When traditionally fancy 2941 closed its doors in January, the idea was reinvent itself as a more versatile dining destination—one you’d go to for daily lunch or happy hour as well as for special occasions. As Ann Limpert described in her recent review, the menu and the décor are very much changed. But classically trained and very French chef Bertrand Chemeltold Best Bites blog back in January: “I don’t change my style.”

There may be no better edible symbol for this high-mid marriage than the Daffy Burger, which features a patty made of ground duck breast and leg and foie gras that is topped with more foie gras—this time cured and sliced—and served with agrodolce, a marmalade of onions braised with vinegar, sugar, and peppers. Think of it as the sandwich soul of the new 2941. “We wanted to attract and scream out to everyone that 2941 didn’t really, really change overnight,” said Chemel in a recent phone interview. “We were doing sandwiches and stuff like that for lunch, but people were considering us too much of a fine-dining place—only for special occasions—and we wanted to attract a variety of people. [The Daffy Burger] is good for that.”

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Chemel said he developed the idea for the Daffy burger from making duck sausage. “I was trained to balance the fat content with how much breast and leg we put in, so the meat holds together but it’s still very soft,” he explained. “I wanted to do something a little bit more unusual than just a regular burger—more like a French burger.”

The Daffy burger is available at lunchtime in the 2941 dining room, and all the time at the bar.